Amalgamator



J. A. HEDGE. AMALGAMATOR.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model.)

No. 596,968. Patented Jan. 4,1898.

Wzfizesses:

. wasnma'ron, o. c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. A. HEDGE.

AMALGAMATOR.

No. 596,968. Patented Jan.4,1898.

UNITED STATES PATNT tries.

JAMES A. HEDGE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

AMALGAMATO R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,968, dated January4:, 1898.

Application filed Angust10,1896.

To a-ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES A. HEDGE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State ofCalifornia, have inventednew and useful Improvements in Amalgamators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements upon anamalgamating-machine invented by me and described and claimed in anapplication for Letters Patent of the United States, filed May 8, 1896,Serial No. 590,739.

My invention relates particularly to improvements in the construction ofthe cylinder of such machine whereby the operation of cleaning theamalgam from the cylinder is greatly facilitated.

My invention also relates to an improved arrangement of theamalgamating-plate, over which the material passes before it reaches thecylinder, whereby I am enabled to force the pulp under pressure acrossthe surface of a series of quicksilver-baths.

My invention also relates to means where by I adapt the machine for useas a placermachine.

My invention also relates to means whereby the placer material is firstthoroughly scoured, is then delivered upon a screen and the finematerial washed through the screen and with the water passed to theamalgamator, while the coarser material, comparatively dry, passes abovethe amalgamator and to a set of riffles, which receive the dischargefrom the amalgamator, so that the same water serves to wash the finematerial from the graveland to liq uefy the fine material, so that itreadily passes through the amalgamator, and after being discharged fromthe amalgamator operates to sluice the gravel over the riiiles. By thisarrangement great economy of water is secured, which is essential inplacer-mining in Southern California and many other dry countries.

My invention comprises the variou s features of construction. andcombinations of parts, which are hereinafter fully set forth andclaimed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective front elevation of myimproved amalgamatoradapted forplacer- Serial No. 602,34e. (N0 model.)

mining. Fig. 2 is a fragmental sectional view illustrating my improvedamalgam ailing-plate arranged to cause the pulp to pass overquicksilver-baths. Fig. 3 is a fragmental sectional view illustrating myimproved scourer and mixer. Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing myimproved arrangement of cylinder whereby the amalgamating-wings can bequickly and conveniently removed from the cylinder, so that cleaning upcan be performed without difficulty. In this view the parts are showndetached and slightly separated from each other. Fig. 5 is a fragmentaldetail of the balanced shaking-screens and the cam shaft for operatingthe same. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of the machine. Fig.7 is a fragmental side elevation looking from that side of the machinewhich is at the rear in Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a fragmental view, partly insection, illustrating the flexible connection between the water-supplypipe and the rocking spray-pipes.

A represents my improved mixer and scourer, which comprises a case orhopper A, having its bottom (0 made semicylindrical. (See Fig. 3.) Inthis hopper is arranged a mixing-cylinder B, which is provided withseries of tangential projecting flexible wings B, which are arranged tofit closely within the semicylindrical portion of the case. Thiscylinder is arranged to revolve in a direction opposite the direction inwhich the wings project. In Fig. 3 the arrow indicates the direction ofrotation. In the front side of the hopper is provided a discharge-opening a, which is controlled by means of an adjustable gate a, which may beslipped up and down to regulate the discharge from the opening, asrequired. Below the mixer is arranged an inclined screen 0, which issupported by means of a frame G,arranged upon upwardlyprojectingspring-supports D, so that the screen is practically balanced and isfree to swing back and forth.

As shown in the drawings, I have provided two screens 0 and 0, arrangedone above the other, so as to more readily separate the coarse materialfrom the fine. Above the screen 0, I arrange a series of jet or spraypipes E, which are provided in their under.

faces with suitable jet-apcrtures e, and are supported and journaled ateach end in a suitable frame E. The jet-pipes, as shown, are practicallyU-shaped and have the tops of theirside members projecting outward andpassed through the members of the frame E. To one end of each jet-pipe Isecure a lever c, which projects upward above the frame. A suitableconnecting-bar F is arranged connecting the levers with each other, andby means of a pitman-rod F the connecting-bar is attached to a crank f,which is secured to the shaft 5 of the mixer-cylinder.

G represents a suitable supply-pipe which is connected with a source ofwater-supply. (Not shown.) Each jet-pipe is connected with the source ofwater-supply by means of a length of flexible hose G and is controlledby means of an independent valve 9, so that the jet-pipes may be rockedor partially rotated without affecting the supply-pipe. By

means of the independent valves the supply of water to each jet-pipe canbe regulated to suit the requirements-that is to say, a strong spray maybe discharged through the upper jet-pipes and a light spray dischargedfrom one or all the rest, or vice versa.

Below the screens 0 and O, I arrange an inclined amalgamatingplate H,which is preferably made of one integral plate bent to form series ofsteps 7t, and between each step I form a trough h, arranged to receive abath of quicksilver h. In order to cause the material to be forced underpressure into contact with each quicksilver-bath, I provide anadjustable gate 1, extending longitudinally along each trough andprovide at eachend an upwardly-projecting bolt 1, which passes through ascrew-eye i, secured to the side wall of the sluice-box. Upon each boltis screwed a butterfly-nut i, so that by screwing the nut upon the boltthe gate can be raised or lowered to carry its bottom edge nearer to orfarther from the quicksilver-bath.

In practical operation each gate is lowered until the water and pulpwill stand to a depth of two and one-half or three inches above thesurface of the quicksilver-bath, so that the material will pass underpressure over such bath and be forced into intimate contact therewith,thus to amalgamate most of the free gold before it reaches theamalgamatingchamber J. In the amalgamating-chamber I arrange anamalgamating-cylinder J, which is made upon the same principle as thatshown in my former application. By my former construction,however,considerable difficulty was experienced in cleaning up onaccount of the means which I employed for holding the wings rigidly inposition at the central portion of the cylinder. By my present invent-ion I have entirely obviated this difficulty and have so arrangedthe device that when the wings are removed from the cylinder there areno projections left upon the cylinder, so that no difiiculty isexperienced in cleaning the amalgam from the surface thereof.

By my present invention I form the outer at the mid-length ofthe'cylinder and yet avoid leaving any projections upon the cylinderwhen the wings are removed for the purpose of cleaning up I provide anannular ring L, which is provided in its inner face with a series ofradial slots L, adapted to receive and chamber the wings. By this meanswhen one head of the cylinder is removed, as

shown in Fig. 4, the ring L can he slipped endwise off of the cylinder,possibly carrying with it a portion ofthe wings K. Then the ring isremoved from the cylinder, the wings can be removed from the ring andfrom the cylinder, leaving the outer surface ofthe cylinder perfectlysmooth and ready to be cleaned. By making the ring L to fit tightly uponthe cylinder when it is removed therefrom it will scrapethe greaterportion of the amalgam from one end of the cylinder, thus to'facilitatethe cleaning up.

Below the amalgamating-chambcr J, I arrange a sluice-box M, which isprovided with series of steel riflies. M. These riiiies are made of thinstrap-steel set edgewise, and by reason of the upper surface being verynarrow coarse gold in rolling across such surface cannot gain sufficientmomentum to carry it across the space intervening between one riffie andthe next, as is the case where the riflies are made of wood and have abroad upper surface. A suitable chute N is arranged to conduct thecoarse material discharged from the screens 0 and 0 down to the riffiesM.

The amalgamating-cylinder J is provided with a band-wheel J and alsowith a crank J whereby the cylinder may be rotated. Upon the other endof the shaft of the cylinder is secured a power-wheel J, (shown indotted lines in Fig. 6,) and upon the end of the shaft 2) of themixer-cylinder is secured a power-wheel b. Suitable means, such as thesprocket-chain O, connects the power-wheel j with the power-wheel Z2, sothat the rotation of the cylinder rotates the mixer. On the other end ofthe mixer-shaft is secured a power-wheel b, which is connected with apower-wheel P upon a cam-shaft P. Upon this shaft is secured cams p, andupon the frame 0'' of the screens are secured suitable projections c cwith which the cams engage, thus to carry the screen back and forth asthe cam-shaft revolves.

In practice the water-pipe G is connected with a suitable source ofwater-supply, (not shown,) and by means of a hose g water is introducedinto the mixer A. A suitable screen (not shown) may be arranged upon themixer to screen out the coarse boulders and to allow the finer materialand gravel to pass down into the chamber A, where the rotating flexiblewings B engage therewith and scour the material against them and againstthe bottom of the chamber, after which it is discharged through theopening a and passes onto the screen 0. The screen being constantlyswung to and fro by reason of the cams engaging with the projections 011the frame carries the material down beneath the jet-pipes E. The valvesare turned to cause water to discharge through the jetpipes, and bymeans of the pitman F and connecting-bar F the pipes are swung back andforth, while the screen is also swung back and forth, thus subjectingthe material upon the screens to a thorough washing, which separates allthe fine material from the coarse and causes the fine material, togetherwith the water, to pass through the screen 0 onto the screen 0. Here asecond separation takes place, and only the very fine material passesthrough the screen 0 and is received upon the amalgamating-plate H. Asthe material passes down the plate H it is intercepted by the gates I,which project into the troughs II a sufficient distance to intercept theflow of the pulp between the bottom of the gate and the surface of thequicksilver-bath. The pulp then rises behind the gate until sufficientpressure is accumulated to force the material beneath the gate, whenceit passes to the next step and to the next trough, and so on until itreaches the cylinder J where any particle of fine gold remaining isamalgamated in the manner described in my before-mentioned applicationfor Letters Patent. From the amal gamating-chamber the tailings pass tothe sluice M and downward over the ritlles, carrying the coarse materialdischarged from the screens 0 and O and conducted to the riffles bymeansof the chute N.

Thus by my improved arrangement great economy of water is secured,sinceonly enough water need be used to thoroughly wash the fine material fromthe coarse material and allow it to readily pass through theamalgamator, while the coarser material, comparatively dry, passes downto the riiiles, where the same water which liquefies the fine materialoperates to sluice the coarser material over the rib fies, and anycoarse gold in the coarse material will be caught by the ri'lfies.I-Vhere water is very scarce the tailings may be turned intosettling-tanks and the water pumped again to an elevated reservoir andused over and over.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In an amalgamator, the combination set forth of anamalgamating-cylinder provided at each end with a projecting flangehaving therein slots to receive the ends of radial amalgamating-strips;such strips, forming wings for the cylinder; and a retaining-ringprovided upon its inner face with radial slots adapted to seat thewings, and arranged upon the cylinder between its ends and having thewings seated in the slots.

2. In an amalgamator, the combination set forth of anamalgamating-cylinder having flanged heads of greater diameter than thecylinder and provided with slots adapted to seat therein the ends of amalgamating-strips; suitable amalgamating-strips arranged upon thecylinder and having their ends seated in the slots; and a retaining-ringarranged upon the cylinder between the ends thereof and adapted to holdthe strips firmly in position.

3. In an amalgamator having an amalgamating-cylinder and removableradial strips forming wings for the cylinder, the combination therewithof a retaining-ring arranged upon the cylinder and having radial slotsopening from the inner face of the ring, and having the wings seatedtherein.

4. In an amalgamator, the combination set forth of an inclined screen;an amalgamating device arranged below such screen; suitablemeans forfeeding upon such screen the material to be amalgamated; suitable meansfor spraying water upon the material to wash the fine material throughthe screen to the amalgamator; rifiles arranged below the amalgamator toreceive the discharge therefrom; and a chute for conducting the coarsematerial from the lower end of the screen to the riffles.

5. In an amalgamator, the combination set forth of a mixer and scourer;an inclined screen arranged to receive the material dischargedtherefrom; an amalgamating-plate arranged to receive the material whichpasses through the screen; an amalgamating-cylinder arranged to receivethe material dis charged from the amalgamating-plate; a series ofrifiies arranged to receive the material discharged from theamalgamator; a chute arranged to conduct to the riiiies the coarsematerial discharged from the screen; and suitable means for sprayingwater upon the material while it is passing over the screen.

6. In an amalgamator, the combination set forth of a mixer and scourer;an inclined screen arranged to receive the discharge therefrom; a seriesof rocking spray-pipes arranged above the screen and connected with asource of water-supply; an inclined amalgamatingplate arranged toreceive the material which passes through the screen, and provided withseries of troughs for quicksilver; gates arranged to project into thetroughs; a rotatable amalgamating-cylinder arranged to receive thedischarge from the amalgamator; a chute arranged to conduct to theriffies the coarse material discharged from the screen; a power-wheelarranged upon the shaft of the amalgamating-cylinder; a power-wheelarranged upon the shaft of the mixer and scourer; and suitable meansconnecting the power-wheel of the cylinder with the power- Wheel of themixer and scourer.

7. In an amalgamator, the combination set 8. An amalgamator comprising ascourer; a separator arranged to separate the fine material from thecoarse; an amalgamating de vice arranged to receive the fine materialand the water from the separator; riffles arranged to receive thedischarge from the amalgamator; and suitable means for conducting thecoarse material from the separator t0 the riiiles.

JAMES A. HEDGE. iVitnesses:

ALFRED I. TOWNsEND, JAMES R. TOWNSEND.

